The Case of the Thirteen Captains
The Soul Society Arc... Sherlock Holmes style! Staring Toushiro as the hero, Momo as his lady love and Rangiku as his faithful sidekick. I know we all know what happens, but I just thought it would be fun to do it this way!
In was towards the summer of the year when my captain and myself received our most challenging case so far. What at first seemed like a simple matter of strained inter-captain politics soon turned into a murky web of lies and deceit, and even placed both my captain's and my own life in danger.
As the unwaveringly loyal subordinate of Captain Hitsugaya, it is my duty to document every detail of the case, so that it might be kept in the Records Archive for future reference. Sadly, I have little interest in writing reports, but against my captain's insistence (and the threat of Hyourimaru) I am powerless.
It began one ordinary day, the same as most any other. As my rank requires, I was sat in the office, filling out paperwork.
(I must confess at this point, that I was not actually filling out any paperwork. It was not that I deliberately wished to disobey my captain; I simply felt I might spend my time in a more productive way. But I digress.)
My captain suddenly strode into the room, frowning in a most troubled manner.
'Hitsugaya-taichou, what ever is the matter?' I asked.
'I confess, I am not entirely sure…' he mused, sitting down behind his desk. He put his head in his hands and began meditating on some problem or other.
I knew better than to interrupt. This was, after all, Toushiro Hitsugaya, the famous child prodigy of the Soul Society. There was simply nothing he could not work out if he put his brilliant mind to it, I was certain of it.
'Matsumoto? Might I ask you a favour?' he enquired after a short while.
'Of course, captain. What could be troubling you?'
'I wonder if you would mind sitting and listening to me wonder out loud. I often find it easier to think when I voice my opinions and reflect them of others. I assure you, it will only take a minute.'
'Of course!' I smiled at my young superior, 'please, I should be only too happy to assist, taichou.'
'Thank you,' Hitsugaya-taichou stood, giving me a rare smile.
He strode away from his desk and paced the length of the room. As he walked, I could not help noticing his adorable young face and tousled white hair, and I was reminded of the great affection that we of the Shinigami Women's Association have for the cute boy genius.
'Matsumoto,' he began after a while, 'you are aware, of course, of the ryoka invasion?'
'Naturally. It is the talk of the Seireitei!' I declared.
'And as you know, earlier today I received summons to an emergency captains meeting. The meaning of this was to call Gin Ichimaru to stand before us, owing to the fact that he had confronted the ryoka and permitted them to escape. But before his punishment could be passed, our liaison was interrupted by the announcement that said ryoka had entered the Seireitei.'
I nodded, willing him to continue.
'It was as we left this meeting, that I overheard the exchange between Ichimaru and captain Aizen.'
Here he paused, and looked and me out of the corner of his eye.
'I can rely on you not to make this public knowledge, can I not, Matsumoto?'
I nodded enthusiastically.
'I assure you sir, my lips are sealed.'
He nodded and continued.
'I overheard what sounded like an exchanging of threats between the two. Aizen remarked how it was convenient timing for the ryoka to invade, as it meant that Ichimaru's sentence could not be passed. Ichimaru then asked him to repeat his last comment, and remarked that whatever it was Aizen wanted to say to him, he should be open about it.'
This was certainly interesting, but I wondered that it had piqued my captain's interest so.
'It was then that I heard the comment that has raised my suspicions,' he continued, 'Aizen then advised Ichimaru not to underestimate him. I say advised, but to my ears it sounded more of a warning. Following this cryptic message, he left.'
'Not to underestimate him?' I repeated in puzzlement, 'that certainly is strange. What do you make of it sir?'
He sighed in a most dramatic manner and sat down on our shared couch.
'I know not what to make of it,' he confessed, 'apart from this, I have neither seen nor heard anything to indicate any trouble between Souske Aizen and Gin Ichimaru…'
He leaned forward, tapping his fingers to his temples.
'Ichimaru is Aizen's former lieutenant,' I ventured after a while, 'one would surely think that the pair would be on pleasant terms with one another?'
'My thoughts precisely. Which is why I wonder what could have taken place between the two to make Aizen so mistrustful of his old subordinate...'
We were silent for several minutes. I knew from his paler than usual demeanour and tense posture that there was something else troubling captain Hitsugaya, but I was certain he would tell me when he deemed it appropriate.
'I believe that I am not alone in my apprehensive feeling toward the squad three captain,' he informed me after a period, 'though I have no grounds for my dislike, I must confess to never having been comfortable in his presence. And from what I observed today, it would seem that captain Aizen shares my unease.'
I knew not what to say to this. I felt that captain Hitsugaya was being remarkably open with me, especially as he knew full well that Gin Ichimaru and I were childhood companions.
He frowned slightly and closed his eyes. The simple gesture betrayed his true emotions; clearly he suspected that something was amiss amongst the top levels of the Gotei Thirteen. I did not share his unease, rather, I looked upon it simply as a slightly out of place occurrence, at a time when tempers were running high.
However, if Captain Hitsugaya believed something was amiss, then I made a promise to myself that I would follow his leadership no matter what the cost. The captain's intuition had never been wrong yet.
With that thought in mind, I took my leave. I had sources of information who informed me that there was to be an excellent party taking place in captain Kyouraku's office. As a dutiful Shinigami, it was only right that I investigate further into the matter.
Little did I know that my captain's overhearing that simple exchange between the Squad Five captain and his former lieutenant was to be the start of something none of us could have predicted.